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A destination that would easily catch the attention of those who care about nature in one way or the other! It is a place where one of nature's magical propositions - mangroves - take centre stage.
Started a couple of years ago, the mangrove trail that has come up at Kizhake Kandankali, about five kilometers from Payannur town, offers visitors a close view of the mangrove ecosystem. Taken care of by the Malabar Mangrove Ecotourism Circuit, the trail has been developed based on the principles of sustainable tourism, with the assistance of the local people.
Managed by Malabar Ecotourism, bird-watching, canoeing and fishing are the main attractions of the tour through the mangrove forest. It is a sprawling property and the tour here is operated on a stretch of otherwise impenetrable mangrove forests. The landscape is marked by many tidal creeks and waterways. With two high tides and two low tides a day, the terrain is tough to negotiate. The mangrove trail is through a tree-lined tunnel for 100 m. It takes about two hours to cover the entire trail.
A walk under the canopy offers the visitor a glimpse of exotic birds, squirrels, jackals etc. The mangroves here are nesting places of a large number of local and migratory birds. The avian community here is quite appealing. Birds like the Brown-winged kingfisher, Grey-headed lapwing, Pallas Fish Eagle, Lesser adjutant and Mangrove whistler can be spotted here. Other birds that form part of the usual sightings include the myna, quail, kingfisher, wild fowls, different species of herons and weaver birds. And if you happen to be at the mangrove trail during the rainy season, you might also come across migratory birds. If lucky, one can also spot sea turtles and otters.
Otters' creek, Mangrove tunnel, Turtle lagoon, mangrove creek, River Perumba, River Pullencode and Fishing bay are the stopovers during the tour. The local people would double up as guides and oarsmen.
This is one of the rare destinations in Kerala which presents visitors with settings for bird watching, angling, trekking and boating.
Accommodation is arranged on request.The trail is from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on week days. Various tour packages are offered.
Nearby travel attractions include Aralam Farm, Bekal Fort, Parassinikadavu Temple, Payyambalam Beach and Arakkal Palace.
Getting there:
Nearest railway station: Payyannur, about 5 km
Nearest airports: Kozhikode and Mangalore
